Who is Peter Thiel?
In short
Peter Thiel is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and conservative political activist. He is currently in the news for criticising Apple, claiming the company has done nothing new since the death of Steve Jobs.
Who they are now
He is a co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund. As of October 2026, his net worth is estimated by Forbes to be US$37.7 billion.
Why they are in the news
People are searching for him because he recently called Apple a 'well-run value stock' but argued they have lacked innovation since 2011.
An example of their work
He co-founded PayPal and was the first outside investor in Facebook. He also authored the book Zero to One, which focuses on his unique decision-making processes.
Sources
- Peter Thiel
- PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel says Apple has done 'nothing new' since Steve Jobs' death
- Peter Thiel says Apple did ‘nothing new’ after Steve Jobs, calls it a ‘pure, well-run value stock’
- [Key Person Investing #1] "What important truth do very few people agree with you on?" Peter Thiel's decision-making process and his fund's 8 holdings